Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) review

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) currently has an Informr score of 7.9 out of 10.
This score is based on our evaluation of 20
sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

The "1-Minute" Review

What's good

Vibrant display

Plenty of internal storage

microSD support

IP68 water and dust resistance

Good camera

Premium design

What's bad

Low-light camera use requires a steady hand

Older version of Android (6.0 Marshmallow)

Samsung’s S series receives lots of love in the flagship arena. But their mid-tier A-series offers a similar experience at a lower price point. But when making a good mid-tier phone, it’s about cutting corners in the right places.

Does Samsung keep the Galaxy S magic without the price tag on their 2017 A5? Reviews are out and we’ve scoured them all so you don’t have to!

Reviewers were quick to point out how the phone resembles a Galaxy S6 or S7. It has that Samsung design look. You'll find rounded edges, a physical home button and the grilled loudspeaker. Yet, the A5's glass and metal design separates its from the budget bracket.

PhoneArena says, “Its glass-and-metal construction feels so seamlessly well put together, we’d forgive you if you mistake it for the flagship Galaxy S7 model. The similarity is certainly there. In the hand, the phone feels well balanced, with a nice heft to it.”

There’s even IP68 water and dust resistance to save your phone from those random drops in the sink, bathtub or pool.

The only complaints we found were for users of the black model. They found the finish a fingerprint magnet when paired with the darker color.

Heading around front, reviews of the 5.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen are positive. While it’s not sharp enough for VR support, reviewers loved the vibrant colors, rich blacks and clear text. Know Your Mobile said, “For normal viewing this is nice and clear, and as we’ve come to expect from Samsung display tech the color gamut is fantastic, contrast is excellent, and the brightness levels are quite capable, though not the brightest on the market by any means.”

The 1.9GHz octa-core Exynos 7 processor keeps the screen stutter-free, even with the latest games. Reviews say the 3GB of RAM offers smooth multitasking. Some reviewers question if this will cause issues as apps continue to increase in complexity.

The Inquirer put the phone through a series of tests and declared it “more than capable of meeting most people's day-to-day smartphone performance needs.”

If you’ve found the TouchWiz UI frustrating in the past, reviews show that their new Grace UI is much less intrusive. It runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with no sign of if Nougat or O will be offered. The phone’s 32GB of internal storage should be enough for most users. Need more space for your movies, music or other files? A microSD slot offers quick expansion up to 256GB of extra storage.

With 16MP cameras on both sides of the phone, reviewers loved the quality of both selfies and outdoor shots. Pocket Lint said, “The camera is capable of taking balance shots in good light with eye-pleasing sharpness and depth.” Some reviews noted blurry low-light action shots. But with a steady hand, image quality improved.

Reviews for the 3000mAh internal battery are mixed. Some reviewers applauded the phone for a two-day run on a single charge. Others mentioned needing to top off before the end of day one. If you’re a gamer or power user, the included fast charge adapter will net you a full charge in 1.5 hours.

Reviews for the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) are positive. Know Your Mobile summed up opinions well, saying, “It is a cohesive and well-thought-out package, and again, a big part of the appeal is getting premium aesthetics and build on the outside as much as the inside; this shouldn’t be the exclusive territory of flagships, and Samsung clearly understands that with the Galaxy A5.”

What the Critics Are Saying...

This handset stays true to the “Galaxy S7 Mini” nickname, although its screen is actually a bit larger. You feel that you’re getting a taste of Galaxy S7, maybe 70% of the experience or 80% tops, by spending a few Benjamins less. It’s a very good looking phone, with an extrem...

- Alexandru Stănescu, GSM Dome

Samsung galaxy A5 (2017) scores on pretty much everything, except of course the processor. It sports a stunning design, great front and back cameras, and offers an average battery life. Galaxy A5 (2017) shouldn’t disappoint you if you are a regular user and do not play a lot of games of watch...

- Hansa Verma, The Indian Express

Galaxy A5 (2017) is a model that slightly exceeds the mid range but this is completely explicable. The smartphone impressed us in the first place with its design which closely resembles that of the flagship Galaxy S lineup. However, the other features are also at the desired high level. A Super AMOL...

- LaptopMedia Team, LaptopMedia

The A5 is not a bad phone, but it’s not the best by any means. It’s well-built, but not exceptionally so. It has a good camera, but it’s definitely not the best option around. It’s also limited to Android 6.0 for now. In the end, I think this phone lives or dies by Samsung Pa...

- Anirudh Regidi, tech2

The Samsung Galaxy A5 is a mid-range phone in flagship clothing, and does a pretty impressive job of balancing the two so you don’t feel like you’re missing out. Understandably, there are some compromises to be made, but Samsung has picked them carefully and, in some cases, you migh...

Prices (Where to Buy)

Common Questions

The Galaxy A5 (2017) price will vary depending on retailer, age, special offers and whether or not it's purchased with a service plan. If purchased with a 2 year service contract for example, you would likely pay much less for the phone itself up front. You can compare Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) prices from around the web here on The Informr.

If your Galaxy A5 (2017) has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Samsung support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Samsung's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.

Rate It:

Critic Reviews

The real Galaxy S7 Mini

This handset stays true to the “Galaxy S7 Mini” nickname, although its screen is actually a bit larger. You feel that you’re getting a taste of Galaxy S7, maybe 70% of the experience or 80% tops, by spending a few Benjamins less. It’s a very good looking phone, with an ext...More

This handset stays true to the “Galaxy S7 Mini” nickname, although its screen is actually a bit larger. You feel that you’re getting a taste of Galaxy S7, maybe 70% of the experience or 80% tops, by spending a few Benjamins less. It’s a very good looking phone, with an extremely capable battery and camera. It doesn’t make compromises and upgrades the predecessor enough to make it tempting. The only drawbacks are the lack of OIS, Nougat and maybe some lesser camera aspects. One can only imagine what the Galaxy A5 (2018) will bring once it gets S8 inspiration.

Stylish design, excellent camera

Samsung galaxy A5 (2017) scores on pretty much everything, except of course the processor. It sports a stunning design, great front and back cameras, and offers an average battery life. Galaxy A5 (2017) shouldn’t disappoint you if you are a regular user and do not play a lot of games of wat...More

Samsung galaxy A5 (2017) scores on pretty much everything, except of course the processor. It sports a stunning design, great front and back cameras, and offers an average battery life. Galaxy A5 (2017) shouldn’t disappoint you if you are a regular user and do not play a lot of games of watch a lot of videos on your device. Coming to options in the same price-range, there’s OnePlus 3T which runs Snapdragon 821, Oppo F3 Plus which you can consider.

Amazing flagship features

Galaxy A5 (2017) is a model that slightly exceeds the mid range but this is completely explicable. The smartphone impressed us in the first place with its design which closely resembles that of the flagship Galaxy S lineup. However, the other features are also at the desired high level. A Super A...More

Galaxy A5 (2017) is a model that slightly exceeds the mid range but this is completely explicable. The smartphone impressed us in the first place with its design which closely resembles that of the flagship Galaxy S lineup. However, the other features are also at the desired high level. A Super AMOLED Full HD display is available and it includes a number of useful modes and features. In fact, Galaxy A5 (2017) is packed with a lot of useful software features so you can often use them. The battery life is also impressive with a capacity of 3000mAh but it definitely performed amazingly in our endurance tests.

A well-built phone that lives or dies by Samsung Pay

The A5 is not a bad phone, but it’s not the best by any means. It’s well-built, but not exceptionally so. It has a good camera, but it’s definitely not the best option around. It’s also limited to Android 6.0 for now. In the end, I think this phone lives or dies by Samsung...More

The A5 is not a bad phone, but it’s not the best by any means. It’s well-built, but not exceptionally so. It has a good camera, but it’s definitely not the best option around. It’s also limited to Android 6.0 for now. In the end, I think this phone lives or dies by Samsung Pay. If you want Samsung Pay, this is the phone for you. If not, there are far better alternatives to be had.

A mid-range phone in flagship clothing

The Samsung Galaxy A5 is a mid-range phone in flagship clothing, and does a pretty impressive job of balancing the two so you don’t feel like you’re missing out. Understandably, there are some compromises to be made, but Samsung has picked them carefully and, in some cases, you might not even notice you are making them.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 is a mid-range phone in flagship clothing, and does a pretty impressive job of balancing the two so you don’t feel like you’re missing out. Understandably, there are some compromises to be made, but Samsung has picked them carefully and, in some cases, you might not even notice you are making them.

Gorgeous design, snappy performance

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) is indeed a worthy successor with beautiful build quality, snappy performance, good camera. Even though it has few flaws, the positives in this mobile will overpower this for sure. But what hurts here is the price point. At Rs. 28,990, this is definitely cost...More

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) is indeed a worthy successor with beautiful build quality, snappy performance, good camera. Even though it has few flaws, the positives in this mobile will overpower this for sure. But what hurts here is the price point. At Rs. 28,990, this is definitely costly and on the other hand, you will get flagship grade smartphones including OnePlus 3T and others from Chinese OEMs with powerful specifications at much cheaper cost.

Not a single element that can be pointed out as inferior

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) offers good build, premium design, good display and an able camera. The performance is acceptable barring occasional flaws, and the battery life could have been better. To sum up, it offers good end-user experience, making it a decent smartphone to use.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) offers good build, premium design, good display and an able camera. The performance is acceptable barring occasional flaws, and the battery life could have been better. To sum up, it offers good end-user experience, making it a decent smartphone to use.

A beautiful mid-range Android phone

This is an extremely compelling little smartphone, it seems perfectly priced and specced for its niche; to slot in the market where there are people prepared to throw down a few hundred pounds for quality, but who don’t want to bother with more phone than they need at the considerably higher prices flagships command.

This is an extremely compelling little smartphone, it seems perfectly priced and specced for its niche; to slot in the market where there are people prepared to throw down a few hundred pounds for quality, but who don’t want to bother with more phone than they need at the considerably higher prices flagships command.

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